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Free now, Selis ran toward Iseris. Had one of them conjured those roots?
Alekur roared, and another blast of wind caught the old woman and sent her stumbling toward Iseris and the stone cavern wall. The gust grew, lifting her off her feet with powerful force. But this time, Iseris was able to catch Selis and break the impact somewhat.
“Surrender.” Alekur was slashing at the vines with the dagger as best he could, eyes fiery as they pinned Jav. “Or I’ll kill them both.”
Jav couldn’t answer. Not that there was anything to say. His second, most determined opponent had taken good advantage of Jav’s momentary distraction with a flurry of powerful blows, but in the man’s hurry, he’d tripped on a rock and fell backward, slashing at Jav’s knee.
Jav barely danced away in time, but the fall did buy him a few moments. Moments he was forced to use to block a blow from the third man, sliding his sword down to his attacker’s hilt and shoving his foe back. Gods, he just needed a chance, one chance—a way to take one of them out of this fight and not be always on the defensive. He raised his sword, but the first man that had fallen had recovered enough to rise to his feet and rejoin the fight. Although a hand held his wound, he was circling around to another angle.
Jav would soon be surrounded.
“Surrender? So you can just kill all three of us?” Iseris shouted. “We’re not stupid.”
“No, you’re just outmaneuvered.” The first vine came free, and he easily slashed the second. The confident smirk returned to his face as he started toward Iseris and Selis, their arms around each other.
Yes, that was the prince that Jav knew. Smirking no matter how things were going. Bluffing his way to victory.
Well. Not this time, if Jav had anything to say about it. All three of his opponents came at him now, but he was getting a feel for them. The patterns they trained in. What to expect.
He parried one, dancing to the side, and then ducked as he swung the sword around, catching his third opponent with a deep slash to the thigh. The man’s scream made all of them jump as he fell to the floor, trying to staunch the bleeding.
Jav couldn’t take advantage, though. The first attacker was already coming at him again.
Iseris’s eyes were wide, watching Jav fighting and Alekur stalking toward her and Selis. There had to be some way she could help get them out of this situation. But if she knew it, it wasn’t coming to her.
“You don’t have the upper hand here,” Selis told Alekur coldly. “Be gone and leave us to live in peace.”
Alekur laughed. Between them, plants sprouted from the ground, a thick row of thorned bramble bushes.
“You think a hedgerow is going to stop me?” He laughed louder, then narrowed his eyes at the brambles. “No. Not even slightly.”
The row of bushes burst into flame.
The heat licked her dress, her skin, and instinctively Iseris flattened herself against the rock wall as Selis did the same. “How is he—how is he?—”
“How do you think?” Selis yelled back. “Not with their torches!”
She squinted to look over the sudden blaze, for something to disprove the crazed thought that had taken root. Alekur must have had some way of starting this blaze… something she’d never seen before. Something quick and devastating.
But there was nothing in his hands but his dagger. And worse, he was no longer advancing toward them.
“Jav!” she shouted. “Look out!”
More brambles rose, this time between Jav and Alekur. Snarling, Alekur slashed into them, cutting back this vine and that… More tendrils shot out now from the ground, reaching. Some missed, but one caught the sword arm of one of Jav’s opponents. Another caught Alekur’s leg.
“Is that your magic?” Iseris asked, breathless. There must be some way she could help, aside from shouting warnings and mildly annoying Alekur. Encouraging the horses to abandon Alekur and his men had bought Jav a little time, but not enough.
“Yes!”
“And that’s his?” she asked, glaring pointedly at the fire.
“You’re catching on quick.” Selis ducked down behind the fiery row. “Yes. He could just as well have lit us on fire, but I think he’s decided to kill your friend first.”
“You’re a mage too,” she shouted at Alekur. She shook a fist at him, not that it left her feeling any better. “And yet you’d have had me killed for it?”
Alekur cut the root constraining him and scowled at her. He didn’t deny it, but he did raise his hand menacingly again.
At this, his men faltered. Apparently, they’d missed the earlier evidence, focused on Jav. But Jav was quick to take advantage of the opening, bringing his blade down, hard, and a man cried out in pain. Even as one fell, the other lunged.
